What Sensory Capabilities Do Infants Have?

If you have an infant, you likely wonder what the world looks like from her perspective. Although it was once thought that babies did not have many sensory capabilities, it has now been shown that they can hear, see and respond to interesting sensory stimuli much earlier than once believed, according to "Infancy: Sensation, Perception and Learning". Learning about what your baby can see, hear and taste will help you understand what she is experiencing as you introduce her to a world of exciting discoveries.

  1. Hearing

    • Your infant's hearing is very well-developed, as it was when he was a newborn. According to "Infancy: Sensation, Perception and Learning," a baby is more sensitive to high-pitched sounds than low-pitched ones, and he can distinguish among all kinds of sounds. He can also tell which direction sound is coming from. An infant is predisposed to respond to human voices, which may be significant for later social development.

    Vision

    • Your baby's vision develops rapidly from birth. "Family Education" reports that an infant has limited vision during the first week of life, and she can only focus on objects that are 7 to 12 inches away from her eyes. A baby loves to look at human faces, also likely preparing her for social development, and can best perceive patterns that are sharply contrasted between darkness and light. Furthermore, she has a limited ability to track movement of objects, and can only follow something if it is moving very slowly.

    Smell and Taste

    • A sense of smell is very important to a baby, as it allows him to feel comfort in the presence of his primary caregiver. A baby can discriminate between several different odors and recognize the smell of his mother by 1 week of age, according to "Infancy: Sensation, Perception and Learning". However, "Family Education" states that it is difficult to test what aromas a baby prefers, and so extensive research has not been conducted. In terms of taste, a baby shows a distinct preference for sweet foods over bitter or sour ones, which makes sense, as his diet consists of either formula or breast milk for the first few months of his life.

    Touch

    • The sense of touch is what brings a baby comfort when she is feeling lonely or afraid, as all babies love to be held close and cuddled. According to "Infancy: Sensation, Perception and Learning", a baby's sense of touch is actually developed long before birth, and she has the ability to experience pain. She can also respond to both negative and positive types of touch, and uses this particular sensory ability to connect to the outside world. "Family Education" reports that a baby's lips and hands are particularly sensitive to being touched.

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